


Maybe Baby

by somebodywakeuphicks



Series: Joyce and Hopper Need Each Other-One Shots [6]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: A little bit of angst, F/M, Joyce and Hopper are meant to be, Joyce and Hopper bottle their emotions, Mistakes were made
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 07:39:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13497612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somebodywakeuphicks/pseuds/somebodywakeuphicks
Summary: Joyce throws Hopper for a loop with an announcement. Neither of them know how handle their feelings.





	Maybe Baby

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sixth work in a sequence of Jopper one shots.
> 
> All stories in this series will have different ratings, so please be aware of that. They may involve different characters and POV, but they are all centered on Hopper and Joyce's relationship in some way.

_Jim Hopper_

 

“Hop, I’m late,” Joyce said as she pulled her arms through her flannel shirt, buttoning it up. 

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” Hopper asked. “You don’t have to be back to work for another twenty minutes.”

The couple had rushed to Joyce’s place over their shared lunch break for some much-needed time together. One or two times a week was not enough, they found. 

“I’m _late_.” She stressed this with her eyes, as if Hopper would understand that.

“Joyce, you’ve gotta be clearer than _—”_

“My _period_.”

“Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah. Shit,” Joyce agreed.

“Wait, how is this even possible? I know we stopped using condoms, but you’re on the pill. You _are_ taking it, right?”

“Seriously? _Yes_. Why the hell would I want to get pregnant?”

“I don’t know. To trap me? Because you know what a catch I am?” He cocked a smile at Joyce’s glare, pulling her body to his. “How late?”

Joyce attempted to escape Hopper’s powerful arms unsuccessfully. She melted into his chest. “A week and a half.”

“Can’t these kinds of things be sort of erratic? Have you ever been late before?”

“ _Yeah_. When I was _pregnant_.”

Hopper sighed. “Can’t you just get a pregnancy test or something?”

“I’m going to go to the doctor. Just to be sure.”

“Okay. Have you made an appointment?”

“Yes. For Friday,” Joyce answered.

“So we have three days. Are you sure you don’t want me to—”

“ _Yes_. Please, just—maybe I shouldn’t have told you.”

Hopper dropped his arms, backing away from Joyce. “Shouldn’t have told me? Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure you don’t want it. Don’t want me to trap you.”

“Damn it, Joyce! It was a joke. How could you trap me when you didn’t plan it?”

“I need to get to work.”

Hopper grabbed Joyce’s arm. “No, we need to finish this conversation.”  
  
“And I said need to get to work. Let me go!”

“Fine.” Hopper pulled back. “We’ve gotta talk about this, Joyce.”

“I said as much as I want to say. I have to go. Lock the door behind you.”

Thirty minutes later, Hopper sat in his office, completely perplexed. Why hadn’t Joyce told him sooner? Why had she gotten so defensive? Of course, he didn’t want a baby. Joyce didn’t seem to want it, either, so why should he be the bad guy? He felt himself becoming angry, and he didn’t want to be. Not with her.

After Hopper picked El up from school, he dropped her at home, telling her he’d be back later and not to wait up for him. He drove to the Hideaway, downing several shots of whiskey until his screaming thoughts dulled significantly. He couldn’t be sure how long he was there, but it must’ve been several hours, because Joyce came barreling through the door, looking for him. 

“Hopper!” she yelled.

“I’m jus havin a few drinks is all,” he told her. 

“Do you know what time it is? It’s two a.m. El called me, worried sick.”

“I tol her ta go to bed.”

“Well she woke up, Hop, and you still weren’t home. You can’t start doing this again! Not when you have a daughter!” 

The few people there turned to stare. 

“Let me take you home, Hop.” Then she shook her head. “No, El can’t see you like this. I’ll take you to my place then go pick her up. You can sleep this off.”

Joyce pulled Hopper off the stool and tried to guide him as he stumbled out the door. They stayed silent the whole ride home. Joyce helped Hopper inside and got him into her bed before exiting the room.

Hopper woke the next morning, head pounding. _Shit, why did I do this to myself?_ he thought. _How the hell did I end up at Joyce’s?_ Then, it all came rushing back to him. Joyce showing up at the bar. Yelling at him and dragging him out. Putting him to bed. He rolled over. Her side hadn’t been disturbed. 

When he walked out of the room, eyes squinting from the bright light, Joyce sat at the kitchen table, drinking coffee. “You’re up.”

Hopper sat down opposite Joyce. “I’m sor—”

“Don’t. I need you to know that was a real shitty thing to do.”

Hopper stared at the ground. “I know, Joyce. I need to make it up to you.”

“Just let me talk. You wanted to talk yesterday, hm? Well I’m going to tell you everything I am thinking right now.”

Hopper raised his head back up, waiting for the floodgates to open.

“What you did last night was incredibly selfish. You left El alone. Didn’t tell her where you were going. She would’ve woken up in the morning with no way to get to school. I had to pick up your slack. You know what most of my life has been? Picking up other people’s slack. My dad’s. Lonnie’s. I don’t need it from you. And if that’s the way things are going to be—”

“They’re not. I made a mistake, Joyce. I was upset—”

“Well you’ve got to come up with a better way of coping when you’re upset. It’s not just about you, anymore.”

“I know that,” Hopper said. “I’m so sorry.”

“You need to tell that to El.”

“I know. And I will. But let’s talk about you, too. What was yesterday about? You can’t just throw something like that out at me, then refuse to talk about it. If we’re in this relationship together, we need to be open and honest with each other.” The vice surrounding Hopper’s head tightened, but the conversation needed to happen. “You got headache medicine?” he grunted.

“Yeah,” Joyce said, getting up and opening a cabinet, pulling out a bottle and filling a glass with water before handing them over. She sat back down. “Okay, so look. You want honesty? I’m terrified out of my fucking mind. I’m forty-two. I have an eighteen-year-old and a fourteen-year-old. We’ve only been together for four months. I got told by Lonnie all the time that I trapped him by getting pregnant with his kid. After we were fucking _married. And_ told me he wanted a kid. Guess he changed his mind after it happened. Not like that ever stopped him from sampling various women on the side.” Joyce rolled her eyes. “Then you threw that out, and…”

“I wish I knew how much it would bother you. I never would have said that.”

“I know, and I get that. I guess part of me is also afraid of being happy. Because most of my life, I haven’t been. I’ve gotten used to that. And the one time I was, well, you know. Jonathan and Will have been the only consistent great things in my life. So I’m afraid. Yeah. Afraid that what we have might be real. Afraid that you’re going to break my heart. Afraid that I might lose you. And I can’t lose you, Hop. It might kill me.”

Hopper stood from his chair, moving to Joyce. He pulled her up, cupping her face and kissing her deeply, headache be damned. “I wish you could know how much I care about you. And how much better my life is with you in it. If you are pregnant, I’m going to love the hell out of that baby. Because I love you, and that baby is a product of that love.”

Joyce pulled back and stared at Hopper for a good fifteen seconds. 

“What?” he asked.

“Did you just…did we just go there?”

 _Oh_. He’d said it without even realizing. “I guess El was right,” Hopper chuckled.

“Right about what?”

“Oh, nothing. And yes, I do love you. So much. I think I have for a long time but didn’t want to admit it to myself.”

Joyce tilted her head, studying Hopper’s eyes before wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest, eyelids closing. “I love you, too.”

***

On Friday afternoon, Hopper sat in his office, a brick in his stomach. Police reports lined his desk, but he could barely focus on them. Joyce’s appointment had been at noon. Hopper glanced at his watch for the millionth time. One-thirty. Suddenly, Joyce burst through the door, closing it behind her. “Guess what?” she asked.

Hopper’s heart flew into his throat. 

“I’m not pregnant! Just old.”

“Really? You’re really not pregnant?” Hopper asked, leaning all the way back in his chair, blowing out a long whistle. “I was so sure you were.”

“No. My cycles have always been like clockwork, but the doctor said that when you get older, you can start having irregular periods. It’s my body’s way of beginning to shut this thing down, apparently.”

Hopper stood and pulled Joyce into his arms, kissing the top of her head. “How do you feel?”

“You know? I didn’t think I would, but I kind of have mixed feelings. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want or need a baby. But what you said about it being a product of our love…that was sweet. And I like that thought.”

Hopper kissed Joyce again, this time, her lips. “You know I love you, right? I’m never going to tire of saying that. And, you’re not old, because if you are, then I am, and I’m definitely not.” 

Joyce wrapped her arms around Hopper’s neck, smiling. “I love you, too, old man.”

 


End file.
